The speculation about a former WWE star’s whereabouts is expected to end soon.
According to Dave Meltzer’s Daily Update on F4WOnline.com, former WWE Women’s Champion Mercedes Mone (Sasha Banks) is expected to join AEW soon. However, until she signs, nothing is certain.
AEW has previously agreed to terms with wrestlers and had them sign contracts hours before their debut. This happened to Bryan Danielson, for example. It’s no secret that Mone was in talks with WWE, and while it’s always possible that they’ll come back with an offer at the last minute, the belief is that both sides were not on the same page with the money terms, as she was reportedly asking for a deal that was higher than Charlotte Flair’s current contract.
On Saturday’s AEW Collision, there was no hint that Mone would be appearing soon, and one would think that if she had already been signed, they would want to tease something as a way to boost ratings for AEW Dynamite, if she is set to debut there. If word spreads before the show, it may also help boost ticket sales. It’s possible that terms were not agreed upon until after Collision, and/or they intend to wait until after this week to have her appear on television. If that’s the case, I’d expect a Dynamite teaser this week.
Meltzer wrote in the Wrestling Observer newsletter:
“We do know that the expectation is she will be in AEW fairly soon, but until a contract signing is confirmed, anything can happen.”
Mone and Naomi (Trinit Fatu) left WWE in 2022 following a disagreement with management, which was believed to be due in part to creative differences. Fatu signed with Impact/TNA Wrestling, and it is believed that she will return to WWE soon. Mone worked shows for New Japan Pro Wrestling last year, but she has not wrestled in months due to an ankle injury sustained during a match against Willow Nightingale at NJPW Stong Resurgence on May 21, 2023.
Mone appeared as Tony Khan’s guest at AEW All In: London, and it was expected that she would eventually sign with AEW, but talks with WWE began before WWE reportedly walked away from negotiations at the end of December.
